Training & Nutrition - Rollers

I know that cold weather is coming up for some of us. In order to keep up my training I bought a set of rollers. I recommend them to anyone that does not want to loose conditioning. They are a little tough to get used to but in about 2 hours of practice you should be riding like a pro. A standard set with no additional resistance contraptions will do fine, I've found that the ride is very much like actually riding and my average speed did not vary too much from my on-road numbers.
The rollers are a little more fun because they require that you work on balance and cadence to keep a smooth line. Further, most trainers to me seem like stationary bikes and not real riding. There is no coasting with rollers either, if you need to stop, have someting to grab....quick.
The set I got has two aluminum rollers to support the rear wheel and a single aluminum roller for the front. The front roller on the rear is connected to the roller at the front tire with a rubber "belt". There is a additional magnetic resistance unit but its really not needed.
I just thought someone might be interested.

I tried that once, and found pedalling in place to be about as exciting as watching paint dry! I think that this winter, I'll get around on a "snow bike". I'm looking around for an inexpensive old hybrid or MTB to convert. It's going to have a fixed-gear rear hub, toeclips, studded tyres, and a big rear fender.

I agree, indoor training does suck but on those freezing rain days that are so popular here I have to do something. I'm also getting a few items from Icebike that will make cold rides more comfortable. The rollers are the safe alternative to road training. You should see Kentuckians drive in snow!:eek:

Huffy Man, I'm impressed! A voice of reason at last. When I'm driving in winter and I see a cyclist I get very tense. This is for two reasons:
1. I probably won't be able to stop or take avoiding action as fast as I may need to if one of us screws up.
2. Neither will the cyclist.

What I mostly see are school aged kids riding their bikes in the snow and on the ice. Makes me wonder if their parents are in jail or what. Bloody irresponsible (imho).

I can't recall ever seeing an adult riding in winter. Mind you, I live in the north where winter is the real thing (temperature generally hits -40 at some point during winter).

Nobby,
They make studs for bikes now, I rarely have to use mine. We get winter here too. Relax and lighten up.
Ride Loose,
Pat

Hey, I'm in sunny so. cal and will be riding on weekends (midweek am and pm are gone with no daylight savings, kinda cold too). I am however going to be in the gym w/ weights and riding my trainer and rollers thru winter so I can smoke guys like alex snob come spring, lol! Indoor winter training is the secret to demoralizing all the guys who limited their riding in the off season. Boring if it's all you do for hours on end--don't. Do a 1/2 to 1 hour at a time, put a fan in front of you and a TDF video cranked up and go for it.